Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 I've called it WalMarting. Kevin Yee calls it Declining By Degrees. The consultants who whisper in JR's ears call it branding, standardizing (i.e.homogenizing) the product. I've got a new phrase for it: Marginalizing the Magic. It came to me in Las Vegas when I pulled into a Disney outlet and saw my first batch of Disney Parks 'Where Dreams Come True' tees and sweatshirts on sale ... it was later drilled home when I checked into the Mirage for the NATPE Convention only to see the place has lost its soul in the two years since I've last been there. The whole theme has been thrown out the window, much like Treasure Island (I won't call it by the ridiculous TI moniker it now sports, guess they didn't see pirates being kewl again?) and the MGM-Grand. They all have one theme: generic, uber-hip, expense-account priced, no personality mega-resort/casinos. So sure they now have disparate elements that don't fit, like a hip clubby restaurant with ultra-modern decor in the middle of a tropical rainforest. That's exactly in a nutshell what Disney is attempting to do. Forget local audiences and tastes. Forget about theming and a sense of place. It's GENERIC DISNEY MAGIC that sells. That's why Main Street looks like an outlet mall gone bad. That's why there's a Pirates merchandise cart set up in the Innoventions West breezeway. It's all about getting away from the details and focusing on a more general and, naturally, easier-to-hit mark. Parks and their offerings are interchangeable. One size fits all. Makes for a better bottom line, right? Or does it? Obviously, I don't think so. But if the consultants think so, they must be right, right? You don't earn seven or eight figure checks for ruining peoples' businesses do you? For replacing Coke with New Coke? For building parks on the cheap? For telling companies who run hotels and resorts, 'Of course you don't have to vacuum that $400 a night room. Who looks down? And if they find a six-month old piece of cereal, who cares?' What I find amazing is that some of the "top" consultants who previously damaged companies like McDonald's and Disney now are doing likewise for MGM-Mirage. It shouldn't surprise me, I guess. But do you really want the USA to be a country where everything comes down to the lowest common denominator? Where it's all about cutting quality in the name of efficiency? Where everyone is either filthy rich, dirt poor, or a paycheck away from losing their house or car? Because that's what the consultants agenda is ... and corporate America is hooked on like it's crack.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I totally understand what you are saying about Las Vegas. I went there about 8 or 9 years ago, and I just loved it. Each casino had a really neat, distinct feel that set it apart from the bunch. Weather the tropical Mirage, the regal Ceasars Palace, the old fashioned New York, New York, or the classic MGM Grand, each had a clear niche that set it apart from the others and made it special. I went again just over a month ago, and there was none of that. Sure, the buildings looked pretty much the same (there were more than last time, but along the same general idea), but the content was just all the same. I understand the Cirque du Soleil is neat, but really, how many shows can be running at once within a mile of eachother? It seems that every single resort I saw last time (except possibly Excalibur) has just sort of blended in with the rest. Sure, they are still nice, but there is nothing that makes me want to bother crossing the street from the MGM Grand to go check out what sort of stuff they have over at New York, New York. Disney is starting to become the same way. Sure, what they have is nice, but it really doesn't go beyond that. The WDW parks are just adequate, where they used to be outstanding. What was the last real ground breaking attraction that opened in WDW? Everest? I really don't see why it is so different from other coasters and Disney mountains. Mission:Space? While technologically advanced, there is just something about it that screams early 90's to me. TestTrack? I guess this would have to be it, but it really doesn't do anything that can't be done in a real car on a real road. Does that mean that these more recent additions are terrible? No way, but they certainly haven't raised the bar very much recently. Like all the Cirque shows in Vegas, there are only so many attractions that are just OK that can be built before a big change needs to come. I'm not sure how soon that will be, but I feel like WDW is nearing the end of that rope, as the parks just continue to grow stale with time and shoddy maintenence.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> What I find amazing is that some of the "top" consultants who previously damaged companies like McDonald's and Disney now are doing likewise for MGM-Mirage. << >> earn seven or eight figure checks << How do people get these kinds of jobs? Does everything depend on the principals generating a lot of near-term profits and then skipping out before it begins to sour? Heck, I can do that. I'd like to skip too.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 <<I totally understand what you are saying about Las Vegas. I went there about 8 or 9 years ago, and I just loved it. Each casino had a really neat, distinct feel that set it apart from the bunch. Weather the tropical Mirage, the regal Ceasars Palace, the old fashioned New York, New York, or the classic MGM Grand, each had a clear niche that set it apart from the others and made it special. I went again just over a month ago, and there was none of that. Sure, the buildings looked pretty much the same (there were more than last time, but along the same general idea), but the content was just all the same.>> Yep. Exactly my thoughts. If you didn't know where you were, you'd have a hard time telling by looking around. It's like Vegas took the Disney model of theming, added the billions of gambling revenue to build these palaces ... and now ... now ... they just want them to all be the same. <<I understand the Cirque du Soleil is neat, but really, how many shows can be running at once within a mile of eachother?>> Good question. I believe they have two more shows in pre-production. I will say that Love was wonderful, but I've heard very mixed things on KA (some great, some awful) and am in no hurry to see it. <<It seems that every single resort I saw last time (except possibly Excalibur) has just sort of blended in with the rest. Sure, they are still nice, but there is nothing that makes me want to bother crossing the street from the MGM Grand to go check out what sort of stuff they have over at New York, New York.>> This is the first Vegas trip I have ever taken (and I was there for work first and foremost but still ...) where I never went to a hotel/resort I didn't have a meeting or dinner at just to check it out. <<Disney is starting to become the same way. Sure, what they have is nice, but it really doesn't go beyond that. The WDW parks are just adequate, where they used to be outstanding. What was the last real ground breaking attraction that opened in WDW? Everest? I really don't see why it is so different from other coasters and Disney mountains.>> Everest succeeds more on thrills and fitting into its surroundings so perfectly ... not to mention the fact that so many recent WDW attractions haven't been very good, so the bar is lower than it should be ... but it isn't groundbreaking no matter how kewl the Yeti is (when/if he's actually working). <<Mission:Space? While technologically advanced, there is just something about it that screams early 90's to me. TestTrack? I guess this would have to be it, but it really doesn't do anything that can't be done in a real car on a real road. Does that mean that these more recent additions are terrible? No way, but they certainly haven't raised the bar very much recently. Like all the Cirque shows in Vegas, there are only so many attractions that are just OK that can be built before a big change needs to come. I'm not sure how soon that will be, but I feel like WDW is nearing the end of that rope, as the parks just continue to grow stale with time and shoddy maintenence.>> While I'm hopeful in general with Bob Iger's leadership, I do share your fears. Jay Rasulo needed to be sent off to spend time with his family years ago ... heck, at least Paul Pressler was personable and had a small clue about the parks. And WDW's management team is the worst, but just a hair below DLP's.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 >> earn seven or eight figure checks << <<How do people get these kinds of jobs? Does everything depend on the principals generating a lot of near-term profits and then skipping out before it begins to sour? >> How do they get the jobs? Money, influence, sexual favors etc ... same as in the real world. And, yes, I've watched as these consultants have made millions for themselves and their firms by telling quality companies how to break their working product model ... short term profits come in and by the time the damage to the long term name of the company occurs, they are long gone doing the damage to others. I'd put individual names here, but they'd likely disappear. But there's a reason why you hardly ever hear about these firms. I didn't know until my trip to Vegas that one guy who did immense damage to both McDonald's and Disney parks and resorts was now working for MGM-Mirage. But you can't mistake the signature fingerprints all over. <<Heck, I can do that. I'd like to skip too.>> Hah-hah ... me too!
